The present invention relates to tools to aid in loosening and/or tightening threaded fasteners. The invention is particularly useful for loosening and/or tightening fasteners of vehicle wheels, and is therefore described below with respect to this application.
Fasteners, such as nuts and bolts, frequently become "frozen" in place, e.g., by rust or settling, such that they are difficult to remove by conventional wrenches or other tools. This problem is particularly troublesome when changing a vehicle wheel whose wheel bolts have not been removed for a long period of time. In such cases, it is frequently necessary to apply an extremely large force to the wheel fastener in order to loosen it and to permit its removal for changing the wheel. This is not always easy or possible with the tools normally available when a tire change is required, particularly by women or older persons.